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Archive 2015 · Using clarity in LR or ACR

  
 
ben egbert
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I just wanted to know what other people were doing, I stick to 10, and sometimes omit it. I have a hard time seeing what harm it does and it certainly does add clarity. I do landscape and birds using a 5DS-R. I don't use LR, but do most of my work in ACR.

It would be helpful to state what sort of photography you do and why you like or dislike clarity and any other comments about it.

If this poll works out, I may do another one on the haze feature in ACR and I presume LR.



Aug 20, 2015 at 04:57 PM
coreybell
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


5 to 10 in acr 9.0 version, mostly portraits and surfers. Just edited another portrait. 12...


Aug 20, 2015 at 05:44 PM
Sarsfield
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I use a 5D II and I find I'll use up to 40 in ACR 9.1.1, depending on the shot. Contrast seem to be the most 'subjective' topic in PP, imho. Some like shots as crisp as bacon or toast. Some shoot for the milky, dreamlike quality of surrealism. I shoot for realism and find that Clarity does a much better job than overall contrast or even curve adjustments to bring out detail without corrupting the edges of subjects. Just my 2 cents.


Aug 20, 2015 at 07:03 PM
butchM
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I have a different default setting for each model of camera I use, or staff members that I process their work. The default (applied automatically upon import into Lr based upon camera serial number) ranges from 10-20 depending upon the brand/model of camera ... the larger the image file, the more I apply as a starting point. (The previous is based upon Process Version 2012 ... PV 2010 was slightly higher numbers)

This setting is adjusted to taste based upon image content ... scenics, architecture get a bit more than portraits or wedding shots with lots of faces for example. I also take into consideration the destined output for the file and adjust Clarity along with sharpening based upon the end medium and past experience of similar files.

As with sharpening and color adjustments ... these numbers are purely arbitrary and subjective. There is no one-size-fits-all solution and should be based upon your personal preference for the image at hand and how it will be viewed in the finished medium. Whether the result is considered too much or not enough ... is purely open to your individual interpretation.



Aug 20, 2015 at 08:34 PM
chez
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I don't use any clarity on my landscapes. I find using NIK software gives me more options with better overall results.


Aug 20, 2015 at 09:18 PM
Ian.Dobinson
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I don't do landscapes but use the clarity slider in nearly all my images .
I can't say I use a set number though just slide 'to taste'

But also since the CC update the DEHAZE tool has been my first port of call which has seemed to reduce the need for the clarity tool or at least the amount I apply



Aug 21, 2015 at 12:48 AM
tdlavigne
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I use it from time to time, but it's dependent on each image and varies from image to image as well. Could be a little, could be a lot, never negative though.


Aug 21, 2015 at 02:05 AM
dugaut
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


My main preset is 33 for clarity in LR. Then I adjust depending on camera, scene, light.

I'm starting to use Perfect Effects 8 and Nik software more, though but haven't come to a conclusion on those just yet.

But I like the clarity slider first, then curves, then contrast. I use all of them to some degree together but clarity seems to have the most effect.



Aug 21, 2015 at 04:08 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


Thanks all for the replies. Looks like I am on the conservative side with just Chaz who does not use it and only 1 in the 1-5 range. Perhaps those who don't use it or don't like it skip the survey.

So far I have not heard any negative here, but I have read negatives in tutorials. For me, the most obvious tell that too much clarity has been applied is when things get crunchy looking. Grass with too much detail come to mind. That is hard to explain, but I know it when I see it.

I do use dehaze and like it a lot but on a layer in Photoshop so I can change it to luminance. I will post a poll on that sometime. It tends to darken the image a bit where clarity tends to brighten.




Aug 21, 2015 at 09:00 AM
sbeme
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


all depends
for architectural images and other images working detail and texture, I can get aggressive. I haven't looked back but I am thinking 10-20+ in LR.
For bird and animal pictures I typically brush on clarity/sharpness/contrast boost as a preset brush. Occ I also increase overall clarity.
for portraiture I run anywhere from slight negative to slight positive. And I often used neg clarity over blemishes
I do little landscape imagery but I might add some clarity selectively over textured, detailed surfaces

Scott



Aug 21, 2015 at 12:22 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


sbeme wrote:
all depends
for architectural images and other images working detail and texture, I can get aggressive. I haven't looked back but I am thinking 10-20+ in LR.
For bird and animal pictures I typically brush on clarity/sharpness/contrast boost as a preset brush. Occ I also increase overall clarity.
for portraiture I run anywhere from slight negative to slight positive. And I often used neg clarity over blemishes
I do little landscape imagery but I might add some clarity selectively over textured, detailed surfaces

Scott


Good info, I should probably make myself a clarity brush and for the few portraits I do I will consider negative. That might be a good idea for sky and water in landscapes. I will investigate.



Aug 21, 2015 at 12:31 PM
Stoffer
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I'm not high on the implementation of the Clarity in LR/ACR. It seems to enhance structure/micro contrast together with overall Clarity and darkens the shadows too.

Capture One Pro has got the tool done correctly: You have both a slider for Clarity and one for enhancing structure/micro contrast. Many times I would like one but not the other. Clarity should just be like a Unsharp Mask filter with a very high Radius (like 50 pixels wide). And I think this was how it was done in older versions of LR/ACR. Probably LR 2?



Aug 21, 2015 at 02:15 PM
Stoffer
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I should point out that I really like the new Haze tool and Clarity does have it uses, but over all the image quickly becomes more "gritty" than I would like.


Aug 21, 2015 at 02:18 PM
Markus L
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


I used to use only Clarity in LR. Now I use it a little, then adjust more to my liking with the detail slider in Topaz Adjust and micro-contrast in Topaz Clarity. I don't really know how much I use, it's really photo dependent. Most of my shots are landscape, with some outdoor adventure shots.


Aug 21, 2015 at 04:11 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


Stoffer wrote:
I should point out that I really like the new Haze tool and Clarity does have it uses, but over all the image quickly becomes more "gritty" than I would like.


I wonder if you could apply a gaussian blur to control the radius? I have haze and clarity as actions to apply on layers inside Photoshop. It would be easy to make other mods to the layer.



Aug 21, 2015 at 04:43 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


A sample here of clarity 10 and dehaze 10 compared to a before image.

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1382554



Aug 21, 2015 at 09:18 PM
ben egbert
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


More tests.

I tried increasing clarity on my previous example but the lack of natural contrast in the grass allowed me to go to very high levels without much change. I started looking at different areas. The specular areas in those oak leaves show the effects fast. I am showing a 3 panel crop of that area with no clarity, one time at 10x and a second time at 10X. Not sure this is the same as one pass at 20. It depends on if clarity is linear.

I am also a pioneer at processing 50MP images. Lots of us around I just happen to be one of them. The hard part to get my mind around is the sheer size of a 100% crop. Nothing looks sharp at 100%. But it is not the image that is fuzzy. What is fuzzy is the monitor not the image.

What I find is that lots more sharpening can be applied with little effect. But downsizing has a natural sharpening effect. It makes printing a pleasure and web downsizing a pain.

Back to this test. Clarity tends to make the overall image appear brighter at least for this image, but it also makes the dark areas darker as it adds contrast. In this case, I am getting what I consider a good trade off in contrast versus shadow detail at clarity =10, but at 2x I am starting to block up the shadows and I am starting to turn the leaves into little mirrors. I am thinking 15 might be about right for this image.











the full file




Aug 22, 2015 at 09:25 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


ben egbert wrote:
I just wanted to know what other people were doing, I stick to 10, and sometimes omit it. I have a hard time seeing what harm it does and it certainly does add clarity. I do landscape and birds using a 5DS-R. I don't use LR, but do most of my work in ACR.

It would be helpful to state what sort of photography you do and why you like or dislike clarity and any other comments about it.

If this poll works out, I may do another one on the haze feature in ACR and I presume LR.


I most often use a slight positive clarity setting. It can go as high as +12. I've also been known to use a negative clarity setting in some photographs that are more about soft light and atmosphere.

A "typical" landscape setting might be around +12, though this can vary a lot. For street photography and similar I'm fairly consistent about using the positive value.

It is important to note that I do some things in post that might seem a bit unusual to some, and that these may make my settings for clarity less than ideal for folks who don't do these other things. For example I often use somewhat high contrast settings, but then push the shadow value much higher and more.

By the way, due to the nature of how "clarity" works, you won't see the effect very much at all if you view at 100%. To understand what it does it makes more sense to view it at smaller sizes or perhaps at a size where you can just see the whole image on the screen. Adobe isn't completely clear about what "clarity" actually does, but I"m convinced that it is mostly a form a sharpening (which is really local contrast enhancement) that uses a relatively small amount setting and a large radius. (A bit more explanation is found in this recent article of mine.)

Dan



Aug 22, 2015 at 09:54 AM
ben egbert
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


gdanmitchell wrote:
I most often use a slight positive clarity setting. It can go as high as +12. I've also been known to use a negative clarity setting in some photographs that are more about soft light and atmosphere.

A "typical" landscape setting might be around +12, though this can vary a lot. For street photography and similar I'm fairly consistent about using the positive value.

It is important to note that I do some things in post that might seem a bit unusual to some, and that these may make my settings for clarity less than ideal for folks who don't do these
...Show more

Thanks Dan. This whole idea got started when I saw your clarity setting of 1 in that workflow you published.

Are you also finding, like me that viewing a 50mp image on a monitor with 88DPI is difficult? Perhaps yours is higher than 88dpi. But nothing looks sharp. If I view at print size which seems appropriate, I am wanting to see more detail at a larger size. If I view at 100%, it looks fuzzy, but as I said, its the monitor that is fuzzy not the image.





Aug 22, 2015 at 10:10 AM
gdanmitchell
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Using clarity in LR or ACR


ben egbert wrote:
Are you also finding, like me that viewing a 50mp image on a monitor with 88DPI is difficult? Perhaps yours is higher than 88dpi. But nothing looks sharp. If I view at print size which seems appropriate, I am wanting to see more detail at a larger size. If I view at 100%, it looks fuzzy, but as I said, its the monitor that is fuzzy not the image.


It really doesn't bother me. The only mild annoyance is that I have to hit the zoom button (or key command) a few more times to move between 100% and the size that fits on the screen.

The screen is never, by itself, going to be a fully accurate depiction of what the image will look like at various sizes. Rather, we learn to read and interpret what we see on the screen as we look at the image at various magnifications and then to project what the likely result will be.

Dan



Aug 22, 2015 at 11:51 AM





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